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Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY-NC V4.0, Open
Journal article
Urchin grazing of kelp gametophytes in warming oceans
Journal of phycology, Vol.59(5), pp.838-855
10/2023
PMID: 37432133
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Source: InCites
Abstract
Sea urchins can cause extensive damage to kelp forests, and their overgrazing can create extensive barren areas, leading to a loss of biodiversity. Barrens may persist when the recruitment of kelp, which occurs through the microscopic haploid gametophyte stage, is suppressed. However, the ecology of kelp gametophytes is poorly understood, and here we investigate if grazing by juvenile urchins on kelp gametophytes can suppress kelp recruitment and if this is exacerbated by climate change. We compared grazing of Ecklonia radiata gametophytes by two species of juvenile urchins, the tropical Tripneustes gratilla and the temperate Centrostephanus rodgersii, at winter (19°C), summer (23°C), and ocean warming (26°C) temperatures for the low-latitude range edge of E. radiata, which is vulnerable to ocean warming. We examined the rate of recovery of gametophytes following grazing and determined whether they survived and formed sporophytes after ingestion by sea urchins. Both T. gratilla and C. rodgersii grazed E. radiata gametophytes, reducing their abundance compared to no grazing controls. Surprisingly, temperature did not influence grazing rates, but gametophytes did not recover from grazing in the ocean warming (26°C) treatment. Gametophytes survived ingestion by both species of sea urchin and formed sporophytes after ingestion by T. gratilla, but not C. rodgersii. These results suggest complex grazer–gametophyte interactions, in which both negative (reduced abundance and poor recovery with warming) and positive (facilitated recruitment) effects are possible. Small grazers may play a more important role in kelp ecosystem function than previously thought and should be considered in our understanding of alternate stable states.
Details
- Title
- Urchin grazing of kelp gametophytes in warming oceans
- Creators
- Reina J. Veenhof - Southern Cross UniversityMelinda A. Coleman - Southern Cross UniversityCurtis Champion - Southern Cross UniversitySymon A. Dworjanyn - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Journal of phycology, Vol.59(5), pp.838-855
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
- Grant note
- Australian Research Council. Grant Number: DP200100201 Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment NSW Climate Change Fund
- Identifiers
- 991013127382302368
- Copyright
- © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Phycology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Phycological Society of America. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article